RICHMOND SISTER CITY PROGRAM

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Cornelia Gray
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1 RICHMOND SISTER CITY PROGRAM PROGRAM OBJECTIVES January 2013 Purpose The City of Richmond is a member of the global community and wishes to promote international respect, understanding and cooperation at all levels of the community on a continuing long-term basis. The primary purpose of the City of Richmond s Sister City Program is to foster mutual understanding and meaningful cultural connections with designated Sister/Friendship cities in the interests of our citizens for their common benefit. Objectives The specific objectives of the Sister City Program are: 1) To establish and maintain relationships with designated Sister/Friendship Cities that are meaningful and sustained through on-going activity; 2) To develop a broad base of activity for Sister/Friendship City relationships in which many people and organizations in the community participate through planned and ongoing contact; and 3) To engage the Richmond community and its Sister/Friendship Cities in projects and exchanges that promote cultural awareness and joint learning opportunities as outlined below. a) Promoting Cultural Awareness Sister/Friendship City relationships can promote understanding and appreciation through projects that build cross-cultural awareness. Opportunities for city officials and citizens to experience and explore other cultures may include: Example Activities and Projects Establishing and maintaining friendships gardens Encouraging art and theatre exchanges and hosting international artists Promoting sport exchanges for groups of all ages through club affiliations Encouraging youth group affiliations and exchanges Encouraging service club affiliations and exchanges Participation in annual festivals in Sister/Friendship City Potential Organizations Involved Botanical gardens and garden clubs Richmond Art Gallery Theatre groups Public school or college art program Sports groups Service Clubs Multicultural groups School Board Tourism Richmond

2 b) Promoting Joint Learning Opportunities Sister/Friendship City relationships can create partnerships through which communities can creatively learn, work and solve problems together through reciprocal educational, municipal, professional and technical exchanges and projects (trade and economic development related functions rest with the City). These projects may include: Example Activities and Projects Encouraging technical and professional exchanges in the areas of: o Health care o Education o Urban planning o Accessibility o Transportation o Housing o Environment o Sustainability o Agriculture o Public safety, etc. Sharing municipal government best practices in the above areas Participating in municipal internships for city officials in key fields Promoting student exchanges Potential Organizations Involved School Board Health Authority Hospital Community college Service clubs Chamber of Commerce Municipality

3 RICHMOND SISTER CITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1. Mandate and Responsibilities 1.1 Mandate TERMS OF REFERENCE Original: January 2013 Updated: November 2018 The role and purpose of the Richmond Sister City Advisory Committee (SCAC) is to provide advice to and assist the City in the promotion of the City s culture and values, delivery of the Sister City Program (SCP), and the pursuit of the City s specific goal to establish and sustain cultural and educational ties with approved Sister/Friendship Cities. The SCAC will advise the City of any economic development, international trade and business opportunities presented to the Committee, or its subcommittees, arising from SCAC activities. All pertinent information, details and contacts in relation to such opportunities will be referred to the City for appropriate action through the City s Economic Development Section, the Economic Advisory Committee, Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Richmond or other agencies as would be appropriate. The SCAC will organize SCP related events, including appropriate travel and hosting activities. The SCAC will not directly invite or receive guests from, and will not agree to travel to, Sister/Friendship Cities without the prior direction or approval of the Richmond City Council. 1.2 Responsibilities In carrying out this mandate, under the guidance and direction of City staff, and in accordance with Program Policies and Procedures, and the 4-Year Activity Plan, the responsibilities of the SCAC shall include: Liaising with organizations in the community to encourage participation in Sister City Program activities; Working with staff to carry out annual non-visit related base program activities; and, Producing an annual meeting schedule and other reports for Council approval as described in Section 5 below. 2. Composition In accordance with the program objectives, the SCAC shall be comprised of representatives from the municipality, organizations in the community and individual citizens. All members shall be appointed by Council.

4 Voting Members The Sister City Advisory Committee shall be comprised of up to 14 voting members consisting of: 13 Richmond citizens, and One School Board (non-staff) representative. 2.2 Non-Voting Members City Council liaison City staff liaison 3. Recruitment, Selection and Appointment 3.1 Recruitment Recruitment of citizen appointees shall be in accordance with Council policy and procedures (e.g. the City Clerk s office will place appropriate public advertisements in the media to ask for volunteers). 3.2 Selection All voting members of the SCAC shall be selected based on one or more of the following criteria: Be a Richmond resident or an owner and/or operator of a Richmond based business, who has demonstrated an interest in and commitment to the Sister City Program and/or strengthening international relations generally. Represent the demographic diversity of the community. Represent knowledge, experience and perspectives of various sectors including arts and culture, sport, education, business and tourism. 3.3 Appointment All members shall be appointed by Council. Each new member will be required to obtain a criminal record check. 4. Terms The 13 Richmond citizen members shall be appointed for two-year terms. Each of these members will be limited to serving on the SCAC for a maximum of four consecutive terms (eight years). Any current member (as of December 2012) who has been on the committee for eight or more consecutive years may be not be reappointed for more than one (two-year) term. The SCAC shall have rotating terms to ensure continuity in membership from year to year. Any member that fails to attend meetings on a regular basis may be removed from the Committee

5 Operation and Process 5.1 Operation Every year, in January, the SCAC shall elect: A Chair, and, A Vice Chair for each Sister/Friendship City relationship (e.g. taking lead responsibility for managing existing relationships, which are currently with Wakayama, Japan; Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Quebec; Xiamen, China; and Qingdao, China). Sub-committees may be formed by the SCAC as necessary, to work on specific tasks set by the SCAC. Sub-committees may be comprised only of Council appointed SCAC members. 5.2 Meetings SCAC meetings shall be held a minimum of eight times a year, with a schedule set at the beginning of each year. Any additional meetings may be called by the Chair subject to the availability of a quorum of eight members and with at least 10 working days advance notice. Only Council appointed members, the School Board representative, City Council liaison and City staff may participate directly in the discussion and business of SCAC meetings. Meetings shall be held at City Hall. Minutes of each SCAC meeting shall be kept by City staff with distribution to all appointed members. Any sub-committees shall meet as deemed necessary by the SCAC Chair or Vice-Chairs. Public delegations may be invited to attend SCAC meetings. 5.3 Accountability Based on the 4-Year Activity Plan and budgets, by the end of the first quarter of each year, the SCAC Chair, with the assistance of City staff, shall prepare an annual summary on the Committee s primary activities during the previous year and proposed activities and budgets for the current/upcoming year. 5.4 Communications The SCAC shall report to Council through the City staff liaison. Where communication is desired with the public in the course of delivering the Sister City Program, all media releases and public communications shall be developed by the City s Corporate Communications unit in coordination with the Sister City Committee, and receive approval from the Senior Manager of Communications or Media Relations before release

6 Decision Making Process Members of the SCAC shall follow Council decision-making policy and procedures and strive for consensus. Each member is entitled to one vote. 5.6 Conflict of Interest SCAC members are drawn from a broad spectrum of community interests. The expectation is that each member will conduct themselves in the best interest of the community. If there is a conflict of interest, it will be up to the member to excuse himself or herself from the decision. 6. Resources 6.1 Sister City Program Funding The SCP funding includes: The SCAC Annual Operating Fund. Program Fund with sufficient funding for all program-related activities including official delegations to and from each Sister/Friendship City (see Program policies). This fund is administered by the City. A Delegation Plan (tied to program objectives) and budget for these trips must be developed and approved at least two months in advance of the visit. 6.2 SCAC Annual Operating Fund Council will provide an operating budget for the operation of the SCAC, which will include sufficient funding for regular operations, meeting costs and other costs associated with base program activities. This fund will be administered by the SCAC with guidance from City staff. The SCAC may only incur expenses authorized by Council and/or set out in the Program policies and other City policies and procedures. City staff support and liaison shall be coordinated through the Chief Administrator s Office

Memorandum TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. FROM: Toni J. Taber, C City Clerk SUBJECT: SEE BELOW. DATE: October 13, 2016

CITY OF CAPITAL OF SILICON VALLEY COUNCIL AGENDA: 10-25-16 ITEM: 4.1 Memorandum TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: SEE BELOW FROM: Toni J. Taber, C City Clerk DATE: October 13, 2016 SUBJECT: